Andrew Hyder: Why I’m Coding for America

My proudest professional achievement was seeing dozens of laughing children playing in a brand new neighborhood park, in a part of town that badly needed one. Creating neighborhoods that are safe, fun, and healthy ensures our cities will become vibrant and sustainable. The process of creating these livable spaces is a difficult one though, with many interwoven technical and political obstacles. It can take years to untangle the permitting, fund raising, and political support required just to paint a bike lane. As an urban planner I helped to untie these knots one at a time, yet as a hacker I enjoy solving complex problems at scale.

Code for America is unique in having the national political support, the Silicon Valley technical depth, and the courage of a startup to disrupt these long standing problems at a scale that wasn’t really possible before. I’ve seen Code for America solve local problems, then watched as those same solutions spread across the country. I’ve seen Code for America effect change in our local governments, then watched as those changes inspired other cities around the country. I’ve seen Code for America organize civic hackers, then watched as those groups grew and became permanent. I believe that Code for America will be the leading organization in developing the tools needed for all cities and neighborhoods to easily organize and design public spaces that are equitable, resilient, and full of laughing children.